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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. net — for catching
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — certain
  8. net — in sport
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — a committee
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bound — tied together
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pass — a permit
  20. net — after costs
  21. board — to get on
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com